Ghosts of Yesterday
by Gemini14
Summary: A ghost from Hitomi's past returns. What secrets does he hold? And why does he appear to her now, some time after Hitomi's first adventures in Gaea?
1. Default Chapter

Ghosts of Yesterday

Chapter One

Hitomi sighed as she drummed her fingers across the desktop. She was bored! At first, being back in school after a long summer seemed to occupy her attention completely, but then, after the first days had come and gone, boredom set in. 

"_I actually miss it! I actually miss the feeling of traipsing across unknown territory with Van and the rest! I'd rather do it all again, than sit here listening to some history professor drone on and on about something that happened centuries ago!_" Hitomi thought, before a pencil jabbed her in the arm and she turned to look at the culprit. Yukari, no surprise there.

"What?" Hitomi asked, whispering so she wouldn't be heard.

"You look bored." Yukari replied, in kind.

"Hai. This may be the last class of the day, but it sure is slow going." Hitomi muttered, going silent when the teacher looked back at the class for a moment, then turned to the chalkboard again. 

"Hey, why don't we go and get a milkshake after school lets out? We can go to that parlor you seemed to like so much." Yukari suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea. Sure seems better than going home and being completely bored for the rest of the night." Hitomi said, sighing with relief when the teacher finally announced the end of class. 

"Then it's settled. Let's go." Yukari said, as the bell finally rung and they started making their way to the door. 

"All right." Hitomi said, relieved with the break in schedule. She knew she could always count on Yukari for that. 

"Ne! Hitomi-san! Yukari-san!" a male voice called over the din of students rushing for their lockers.

"Quatre-san! And Duo-san too! It's been a while!" Yukari said, greeting the two boys enthusiastically.

"Hey! Yeah, long time, no see! Can't believe we weren't in the same homeroom this year!" Duo said, grinning as he pushed his chestnut braid back. 

"Got that right, but, then again, the last time we were in the same homeroom, you threw a paper airplane into the teacher's toupee and both it and the airplane went out the window." Hitomi said, smirking at the fond memory. 

"Well, that guy deserved it! No one messes with Shinigami!" Duo retorted, as Quatre rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

"Right…………… Care to join us for some milkshakes?" Yukari asked. 

"Sure!" Duo said, his eyes lighting up at the mention of something sweet.

"As though you need to be any more hyper than you already are." Quatre muttered, getting a dirty look from Duo for a response. Hitomi giggled; she loved watching these two boys interact. She had known them since grade school; one was an orphan who lived in the Catholic Church about a block from where she lived. The other was the son of a politician who had died in the World Trade Center almost a year before. 

"Aw, c'mon, Quatre! You're always raining on my parade! Have some fun for once!" Duo said, teasingly. Quatre arched an eyebrow. 

"Come on, you two, before a fight breaks out." Hitomi said, as she gently pulled them apart from one another. With a nodded agreement, the two boys followed Hitomi and Yukari's lead to the parlor Hitomi liked visiting. When they got there, some of the usual patrons were already there. One ditzy blond was whining to a handsome young man about someone being mean to her, and he merely sighed and endured it. Hitomi had to laugh at the dark haired man's expressions, especially when he was with his immature girlfriend. After ordering some milkshakes, they all sat down and started talking about old times. Hitomi enjoyed times like these; it was a time to reflect on what had been, while talking about what the future held in store for them.

"So, Hitomi-san, do you still read your tarot cards?" Quatre asked, conversationally.

"No, not anymore. I learned that those things could really get one into trouble." Hitomi said, noting the slight look of relief on Quatre's face as she said so. 

"Why'd you give 'em up? You seemed to be really good at it!" Duo said, looking up as the waitress returned with the milkshakes. Hitomi shrugged. 

"Something happened that made me see otherwise." Hitomi replied, simply.

"Such as?" Duo asked, curious to know what had happened.

"It's really none of your business, Duo." Hitomi said, with a bit of snap in her voice. Duo recoiled and put his hands before him in a placating gesture.

"Eesh! Sorry, Hitomi-chan! Didn't mean to get personal! No need to chew me out!" Duo said, defensively.

"I'm sorry, Duo. I didn't mean for it to sound that way." Hitomi said, honestly apologetic about it. 

"No prob." Duo said, brushing it off, then starting another conversation. As they continued to reminisce, Hitomi found that her attention was drifting to someone that stood beside the counter. She gasped when recognition set in; she knew who it was! The long, flowing, golden blond hair, crystal blue eyes and calm grace all matched a certain Astorian knight!

"Ne, Hitomi-chan! What're you lookin' at?" Duo asked, when he'd noticed that Hitomi was no longer paying attention to the conversation. 

"Huh? What?! Oh, Duo! Sorry, you were saying?" Hitomi asked, as the ghostly image faded and she turned her attention back to her friends. 

"What were you looking at just now? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Quatre said, with concern in his own blue eyes.

"It's nothing, Quatre-san. Don't worry." Hitomi said, with a smile. Quatre didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything more about it. As they were leaving the parlor, Hitomi saw the mysterious 'ghost' again, but this time he looked different. He looked tired and looked almost as though he'd been traveling a great distance. 

"Man! Look at that guy! He looks almost like a hobo!" Duo said, with a laugh, as he pointed out the figure.

"You can see him too?!" Hitomi asked, startled by this.

"Who couldn't? Look at him! He looks awful!" Duo commented, as he again pointed at the figure. It was apparent that Yukari and Quatre could see him too, since they were staring in shock at him. Suddenly, a brilliant light came between them and the ghostly figure, then surrounded them.

"What the…………..?!" Duo yelped, as other yelps of shock were heard from Quatre, Hitomi and Yukari. Seconds later, the street was deserted. A new adventure had just begun………….

Author's Note! 

This is somewhat of a Gundam Wing/ Escaflowne crossover, but just wait and see who Hitomi ends up with! ^ ^

Enjoy!

Gemini


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Hitomi opened her eyes with a groan. It had been a fairly hard landing, but she was all right, aside from having a few bruises.

"_And a sore rear._" Hitomi thought, as Duo roused up next to her.

"What the hell happened?" Duo asked, putting a hand to an obviously pounding head.

"I haven't the slightest idea." Quatre said, proper, despite the circumstances.

"Where are we?" Yukari asked, turning to Hitomi for answers.

"I think we're on Gaea." Hitomi replied, looking up at the night sky and seeing the moon and earth above them. 

"Oh shit……………….!" Duo muttered, when he saw the exact same sight.

"Cursing isn't going to get us anywhere, Duo." Quatre said, as he started to stand up. Hitomi was quick to move when dizziness overcame the pale blond. 

"Gomene, Hitomi-san. It seems I have taken things too quickly." Quatre said, as Hitomi gently helped him sit back down. 

"Don't worry, Quatre-san. It's not your fault. I guess the trip over here effects different people differently." Hitomi said, placing a palm on Quatre's forehead and finding a slight fever.

"Count on Quatre to overexert himself in a strange place." Duo muttered, teasingly. Quatre merely gave him a somewhat miffed look.

"But where are we, Hitomi-chan? Is this where you were taken by that bright light almost two years ago?" Yukari asked. Hitomi nodded. 

"In fact, this might be the place where Van and I first met Allen." Hitomi said, as she looked back at the dark forest.

"Whoa, whoa! Back up a minute, Hitomi-chan! You've lost us! Who is this 'Van' person and who is 'Allen'?! And since when have you ever been here before?!" Duo asked. Hitomi sighed. This was going to take longer than she'd thought. 

Merle sighed as she scouted out the area. She had been sent as a messenger to Astoria to find Allen and bring him back to Fanelia. She was almost there when she'd noticed some brilliant golden light illuminating the sky about a mile or so from the path. She almost meowed with delight. If Hitomi had returned, then she'd have someone to annoy again! She'd dashed into the woods without a second thought. Now it had been an hour since she'd sighted the light, and there was no sign of anyone. Then a slight sound came to her ears. Voices! And one of them was Hitomi's! With ease, she traversed the woodland till she found the source of the sound. Stealthily, she poked her head through some undergrowth and looked at the people gathered there. There were two boys and two girls. Hitomi was one of the girls. Merle noticed that Hitomi had grown her hair out a little bit, so that now it was just brushing her shoulders. Her school uniform was a little bit different as well. Then Merle took a look at the other three. The two boys were quite handsome, despite one of them having a foul mouth. The other boy was quiet, yet seemed a little sickly in comparison to the loudmouth. The other girl was also rather quiet, yet she had an aura of worry in her. A smile crossed Merle's feline lips; perfect time to startled them all! With that in mind, she tensed, then pounced!

"HOLY SHIT!" Duo yelped, as something burst from the undergrowth and tackled Hitomi. 

"Hitomi-san!" Quatre shouted, as he tried to pry what appeared to be a cat-girl off of his friend. He got a scratch on the arm for his efforts. 

"MERLE! GET OFF OF ME!" Hitomi shouted, at the tops of her lungs. Immediately, the cat-girl got off, but not before snickering. 

"Is that any way to say hello to a friend, Hitomi?" Merle asked, in mock innocence. 

"I should ask you the same question!" Hitomi snapped, as she brushed the dirt off of her school uniform. 

"What the freakin' hell is that?!" Duo asked, getting the infamous anime flat-eyed look from Quatre for a response.

"I'm a 'Who' not a 'What'!" Merle replied, angrily.

"Oh, so you're a Whovian ('Doctor Who' fan) then?" Duo asked, as Merle's hackles rose.

"NO! I am a PERSON not a THING! And my name is Merle, thank you kindly!" Merle growled.

"This is going to be a long night." Quatre muttered, as he sat down and rubbed his eyes, while Duo and Merle argued between themselves.

"I've never known anyone to get under Merle's skin like that. Maybe those two were meant for each other!" Hitomi said, getting two scathing glares from cat-girl and earth boy alike. 

"Sure seems that way!" Yukari agreed, with a giggle, as the two started arguing again. 

By the time Merle and Duo had finished arguing, they had found the path again and were on their way to Astoria.

"Hey, Merle, why were you out so far away from Fanelia?" Hitomi asked.

"I was running a message from Van-sama to Sir Allen. It had something to do with advisors. But something has happened, I can feel it." Merle said, a troubled look crossing her furry features for just a moment. 

"Something has happened? What? Do you know?" Hitomi asked, turning when she heard the uncertainty in Merle's voice.

"Nobody has heard from Sir Allen in months. He disappeared right after you went back to the Mystic Moon." Merle said.

"Then why is this 'Van' person wasting his time sending a message to a man who's gone AWOL?" Duo asked, getting a slightly irritated glance from Merle for his question.

"I don't know. I guess Van-sama is thinking that if Sir Allen hears that there is a message for him at his outpost, then he will return to claim it. I can't think of any other reasons." Merle said, quietly. 

"Don't worry, I'm sure that you're right." Yukari said, comfortingly. 

"And to think I'd thought that all girls from the Mystic Moon were whiny and stuck up!" Merle meowed.

"Merle!" Hitomi growled, in frustration.

"I think this kitten has claws in her voice as well as in her hands." Quatre commented.

"Oh! That's right! She'd scratched your arm! Let me see!" Hitomi said, cursing herself for her negligence. In the light of the smaller moon, Hitomi could see five, painful looking scratches on the skin of Quatre's arm, and the bloodstained material on his sleeve. After tearing some material from her skirt to make some bandages, she wrapped them securely about the wound.

"Sorry about that." Hitomi apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I don't hold any ill will towards you or the kitten here." Quatre said, chuckling softly when he saw that he'd gotten a rise out of Merle. Merle immediately blushed, then gave him a dirty look, before turning and walking down the moonlit path. As they walked, Hitomi wondered what it all meant. Where could Allen have gone? And why did she see his 'ghost' before she and her friends were brought to Gaea? Was there some new enemy to be dealt with? Or was there something else? Something even more sinister?


End file.
